Chatham County has its share of insects, and some of them can cause health problems.

The most common insects in Chatham are ticks, chiggers, and mosquitoes.

If you have been in Chatham County any length of time you have probably encountered a tick. Ticks are carriers of several diseases; most common are Rocky Mountain spotted fever and Lyme disease, according to Andy Siegner, environmental health director for the Chatham County Public Health Department.

During 2007 and 2008 there were 112 cases of Lyme disease reported in North Carolina and 1,180 cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever, he said.

In the period 2000-2005, there were officially five cases of Lyme Disease in the county, although it is acknowledged that many cases go unreported.

The problem of ticks and diseases is growing in the county. Here in the Piedmont, a new species of tick is carrying a new non-reported disease.

Not abundant 25 years ago, the Lone Star tick is now the most abundant and aggressive and carries the non-reportable Southern Tick Associated Rash Illness (STARI), sometimes described as a less severe form of Lyme Disease.

Not much is known about STARI.

Chatham County commissioners are considering raising the impact fee the county charges for new residential construction, which are aimed at helping the county pay for school facilities.

Chatham County’s impact fee is currently $3,500, but a new study commissioned by the county and reviewed by commissioners Monday shows the county could justify charging a much higher fee.

Commissioners reviewed findings from a new study by Tischler-Bise (formerly Tischler & Associates), the same professional consultant which compiled the data used by county commissioners in 1996 to determine the amount of impact fee the county could charge.

"The commissioners did not act on the study’s recommendations, but will take the findings into consideration. It’s also important to note that this is just a study and not a reflection of what the board will actually decide to do about the impact fee," said George Lucier, chair of the Board of Commissioners.

Before taking action, commissioners said they want input from the towns and the public and they’ve scheduled a Sept. 21 public hearing at 6 p.m. in Pittsboro.

"We need to hear their views on how fees are structured, how any increases might be phased in, when the fees are collected by the county during the process and the effective date of any increases," Lucier said.

Chatham County was authorized by the state General Assembly in 1987 to levy impact fees on developers and began charging an impact fee in 1996.

The fees are used to help cover the costs of providing school facilities, especially new construction, though not all commissioners since the fee was implemented have embraced it.

Commissioner Mike Cross, for instance, during Monday’s discussion called the fee an "absolutely unfair tax to a lot of people."

Commissioners in the past have sought a graduated fee, which isn’t possible under state law, or a land transfer fee, which voters rejected, as possible alternatives to the impact fee.

Commissioners wanted an updated impact fee study to determine a reasonable level for the fees, as required by the state legislation.

Eleven of 16 schools in Chatham County Schools have achieved adequate yearly progress (AYP) by meeting target goals, according to preliminary AYP data released by the state on Tuesday.

Those schools are Bennett, Bonlee, Chatham Central, J.S. Waters, Moncure, North Chatham, Perry Harrison, Pittsboro Elementary, Siler City Elementary, Silk Hope, and Virginia Cross Elementary.

"We are pleased to have doubled the number of schools making AYP over the past two years even though the targets have increased," said Chatham County Schools superintendent Robert Logan

"There is, however, much work still to be done, and we are committed to working together to achieve even greater success," Logan said.

Beginning with the 2008-09 accountability cycle, results of students’ first re-test will be used in the calculation of AYP results for grades 3-8.

The higher of the two scores, (i.e., the original score or retest 1) will be used to calculate AYP.

As a result, 2008-09 AYP results for elementary and middle schools will not be comparable with results of previous years. All students in grades 3-8 who scored at Achievement Level II were automatically re-tested. Students at Achievement Level I could be retested at their parents’ request. A passing score in end-of-grade tests is Achievement Level III or IV. The re-test policy for end-of-course retests will be implemented for the calculation of AYP results beginning with the 2009-10 accountability cycle.

In order to achieve AYP, a school must meet all of its target goals. The number of goals a school has depends on its varied student population. In addition to academic components, attendance rates and percent of students tested are also taken into account for grades 3-8.

At the high school level, graduation rates and percentage of students tested are taken into account along with academics. Each student group must have at least 40 students across the tested grades to be included in AYP calculations at the school level and must have attended a school 140 days before the first day of spring testing.